Business leaders accuse Edinburgh council chiefs of not standing up for the city centre

A business leader has accused council chiefs of failing to stand up for Edinburgh as the Capital continues to face Level Three Covid restrictions and deliberately keeping people away from the city centre with a “shop local” message.

Princes Street is just as safe, if not safer, than local town centres, says Denzil Skinner

Denzil Skinner, chair of city-centre business organisation Essential Edinburgh, said the Capital had one of the lowest infection rates in the UK yet was still in the category where bars and restaurants must close at 6pm and travel outside the council boundaries is not allowed.

He wrote to council leader Adam McVey, Lord Provost Frank Ross and economy convener Kate Campbell, asking: “When will this at least at least be challenged as a policy, given that Edinburgh city centre is dying on its feet?

"We have no visitors, we have no office workers and the policy encourages local folk not to come to the city centre. The city centre is a massive economic driver, our members pay over £1,000,000 in business rates every year, 40,000 people usually work in the centre. Footfall is down an average of 80 per cent, that’s two million people per month. Unemployment rates are increasing daily and exponentially.

Denzil Skinner, chair of Essential Edinburgh. wants the council to promote the city centre

"Are any of you prepared to stand up for Scotland’s capital city, or is it just too difficult?”

And Mr Skinner told the Evening News he was frustrated by the council’s promotion of local areas at the expense of the city centre.

"Last week the council put out a release about the ‘shop local’ campaign and they listed all the town centres of Edinburgh and how they should be supported, but they omitted the city centre. As chair of Essential Edinburgh, with the remit for the city centre, for us that was the final straw.

"We understand the policy and respect what everyone is trying to do, but we are not being treated on a level playing field.

"When I’ve been round places like Stockbridge and Morningside at the weekend, they’re mobbed, as are the out-of-town shopping centres, and the city centre has been left to suffer on its own.”

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He said the city centre was bearing the real brunt of the lack of visitors to Edinburgh and the absence of office workers.

Responding to Mr Skinner, economy convener Kate Campbell said: “We know it’s incredibly disappointing for businesses right across the city that Edinburgh remains in Level Three and we continue to make strong representations to the Scottish Government for revising conditions in the tiers, such as later opening hours for hospitality to allow restaurants to run a second sitting. It’s really important, though, that we all continue to play our part to follow the restrictions and look out for one another so we can help bring case numbers down.”

She said she understood the situation was “challenging” with so many office workers still working from home and numbers visiting the city centre dramatically down.

"We understand the devastating impact that the ongoing pandemic has had on jobs and livelihoods so we will continue to explore ways we can support businesses..”

It is understood Edinburgh’s “Shop Local” campaign is supported by funding from Scotland’s Town Partnership but one condition was that it could not be used to promote Business Improvement District areas, such as Essential Edinburgh, as these had already received funding through a separate award.

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